The Senate Commerce Committee will meet Thursday to discuss the Kids Online Safety Act. This bill, if approved, would require social media platforms to implement safeguards for children, but opponents say say would mandate the companies to "spy" on them.
The proposed bipartisan bill, led by Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., aims to establish a number of protective measures to safeguard children and teenagers on the internet, which is a top concern for members of Congress who believe social media is harming the youth's mental health.
"This is a huge victory for the dozens of parents and victims of social media that have been relentlessly pushing their representatives on Capitol Hill to protect kids online," the two senators wrote in a statement, the Washington Examiner reported.
The legistlation would require options for restricting for time on the platform, limiting addictive features, and restrict access to user profiles. Those under 16 would be subject to the strictest settings.
But the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has characterized the the legislation as overly restrictive.
"The Kids Online Safety Act would not protect the privacy of children or adults," it said. "It is a heavy-handed plan to force technology companies to spy on young people and stop them from accessing content that is 'not in their best interest,' as defined by the government, and interpreted by tech platforms."
The EFF bills itself as a tech libertarian organization. It is funded by notoriously liberal organizations such as George Soros' Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation. It co-signed a letter in November with 90-plus gay and transgender advocacy organizations, claiming the bill would limit "resources for LGBTQ+ youth."
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version incorrectly claimed the Kids Online Saftey Act required ID verification.
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